‘Avengers: Endgame’: How Chris Evans’ Captain America Became Worthy Enough to Lift Mjolnir
Marvel fans rejoiced when Captain America (Chris Evans) wielded Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) iconic hammer in Avengers: Endgame. Fans waited a long time to see Cap take up Mjölnir, and watching him beat down Thanos (Josh Brolin) made it worth the wait. But the scene also raised questions about why he failed to lift it in Avengers: Age of Ultron, something Endgame writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus recently addressed on Twitter.
Inside Cap’s hammer scene in ‘Avengers: Endgame’
In the final battle scene in Endgame, Cap picked up Thor’s hammer in what proved to be a pivotal turning point in the fight. After wielding the hammer quite affectively against Thanos — and even calling down some lightning in the process — Cap bought time for the rest of the Avengers to show up on the battlefield.
Although there was some controversy about Cap’s use of the lightning, most Marvel fans loved watching him pick up Mjölnir in Avengers: Endgame. Not only did it confirm the belief that Cap was worthy of wielding the hammer of Thor, but it also fulfilled what had already happened in the comics.
The only problem is that Cap failed to lift the hammer during a party scene in Age of Ultron. As fans will recall, all of the Avengers hilariously tried to pick up Thor’s weapon but could not make it budge, except for Cap.
While Cap was attempting to lift the hammer, it moved ever-so-slightly. Thor noticed the movement but laughed it off when Cap failed to lift it entirely.
Fans have long speculated why Captain America could not lift the hammer in the scene, and Markus recently revealed why Cap was not worthy in Age of Ultron.
‘Endgame’ writers explain why Cap couldn’t pick up Thor’s hammer
During a quarantine watch party of Avengers: Endgame, Markus and McFeely fielded a slew of questions related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This includes why Cap could not lift Mjölnir in Age of Ultron.
Turns out, the reason Cap was not worthy was because he was still holding a secret about the death of Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr.) parents. In Captain America: Civil War, we learned the Starks were murdered by HYDRA, and that their deaths came at the hands of Cap’s best friend, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
“I’d say he’s not completely worthy yet. He still has the secret of Tony’s parents’ death to resolve. – CM,” Markus wrote.
Cap found out that HYDRA murdered Tony’s parents in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He discovered the truth while he and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) were investigating an old HYDRA base that featured an artificial version of Arnim Zola.
Zola revealed that HYRDA had successfully infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and had eliminated anyone who was a threat to their existence. This included Tony’s father.
It is important to note that Cap did not know that Bucky was involved in the murder until Civil War.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors Joe and Anthony Russo share more secrets
Markus and McFeely are not the only ones spilling Marvel secrets. Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo also hosted a special watch party where they shared some of their insights about the Infinity War Saga.
Taking to Twitter, Joe shared a clip of his favorite Iron Man moment in Avengers: Endgame. The video featured the moment when Tony stripped the Infinity Stones from Thanos’ gauntlet and said, “I am Iron Man,” before snapping the villain out of existence.
“I’d say he’s not completely worthy yet. He still has the secret of Tony’s parents’ death to resolve. – CM,” Markus wrote.
The Russo brothers also revealed that they once considered turning Cap into the Soul Stone instead of having it at a physical place. They did not reveal why they ditched that idea, but they did say that it “fell away rather quickly.”
Avengers: Endgame was released in April of last year and went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time. After it left theaters, the movie ended up making $2.798 billion, slightly edging out Avatar.
